Fifty years ago, a 25-year-old with no money, no connections, and a lot of nerve showed up at an office on the 18th floor of the World Trade Center every single day for two and a half weeks until someone finally let him in. That someone was Barbara Kafka. The place was Windows on the World. And what Kevin Zraly built there over the next 25 years became the greatest restaurant wine program this country has ever seen.
On this episode of The Wine Centric Show, Kevin joins co-host Inez Ribustello, former Assistant Cellar Master and Beverage Director at Windows on the World, for a conversation that covers all of it. How a kid from Pleasantville, New York hitchhiked to California in 1972 when there were only 24 wineries in Napa. How Joe Baum told him to build the biggest and best wine list New York had ever seen and not to worry about what it cost. How 30,000 people have passed through the Windows on the World Wine School. How his book, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, has sold four million copies and never gone out of print.
And what it felt like to dance alone on the roof of One World Trade Center on July 4th, 1976, above the fireworks, king of the world.
Inez brings her own stories from the 107th floor including a Krug 1976 mistake that became a masterclass, a phone call with Kevin that changed how she leads, and a girls weekend in August 2001 that she will never forget.
This one stays with you.
Kevin’s autobiography, A Glass Half Full, is coming soon. His 50th anniversary celebration of the Judgment of Paris takes place May 26th at City Winery in New York City. Details at citywinery.com.
Inez Ribustello’s book, Life After Windows, is available now.

We’re grateful for the support of our episode partners:
The preferred wine glass of Matt and the Wine centric show
▪️Glasvin: Use code WINECENTRIC for 10% off: https://tidd.ly/41vgdSQ

▪️Fearrington House: https://fearrington.com/

Episode Highlights

• Kevin Zraly’s journey from bartender to world-renowned wine educator
• The rise and influence of Windows on the World
• How wine education evolved in America
• The philosophy behind simplifying wine for everyone
• Mentorship, leadership, and building iconic wine programs
• The lasting impact of 9/11 on the wine community
• Kevin’s perspective on the future of wine

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🎧 Listen now on YouTube + all podcast platforms
🔗 Full episode and show notes at winecentricshow.com

Chapters:

00:00 Celebrating Windows on the World: A Legacy in Wine Education
02:43 Kevin Zraly's Journey: From Bartender to Wine Educator
05:21 The Evolution of Wine Culture in America
07:49 Teaching Wine: Simplifying Complexity for Everyone
10:44 The Birth of Windows on the World: A Restaurant Icon
13:29 Building a Wine Program: The Art of Selection
16:23 Mentorship and Leadership in the Wine Industry
19:05 Navigating Challenges: Lessons from the Beverage Director
21:47 The Impact of 9/11 on Windows on the World
24:21 Legacy and Recognition: Balancing Career and Personal Life
33:35 The Legacy of Windows on the World
36:26 Innovative Concepts in Dining
39:14 Reflections on 9/11 and Its Impact
45:14 The Evolution of Windows on the World
48:53 Wine Buying Strategies and Experiences
55:20 Memorable Moments and Personal Stories
01:02:33 Looking Ahead: Celebrations and Future Events

The full episode is available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and at winecentricshow.com.

Kevin Zraly, Windows on the World, wine education, wine history, Inez Ribustello, sommelier, wine podcast, judgment of Paris 1976, Joe Baum, Windows on the World Wine School, complete wine course, New York restaurants, World Trade Center, American wine history, wine for beginners, hospitality, iconic restaurants, Wine Centric Show

A UC Davis professor once told Cathy Corison she would never be a winemaker in the Napa Valley. As a woman, it simply wasn't done.
She didn't argue. She just went and did it anyway.
Nearly five decades later, Cathy is one of Napa's most respected voices — and her daughter Grace Corison Martin has come home to build on what her mother started.
Matt talks with both of them about Kronos Vineyard, planted in 1959 on St. George rootstock and never replanted — through phylloxera, through the Parker era, through every stylistic wave the valley has ridden. They cover Grace's path from a BFA in acting to Union Square Cafe to coming home during COVID and discovering she'd been a winemaker all along. And they dig into the philosophy behind 40 vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon built for the table — wines defined by restraint, benchland fruit, and yields so low they'd make any business school professor wince.
This one covers a lot of ground: old vines, family succession, organic and regenerative farming, the broken three-tier system, and what it actually takes to build something meant to last.

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The official wine glass of the Wine Centric Show is Glasvin.
Use code WINECENTRIC for 10% off at https://tidd.ly/41vgdSQ
We’re grateful for the support of our episode partners:

📍 What You’ll Learn:
Old vines and their impact on wine complexity
Benchland terroir between Rutherford and St. Helena
Kronos Vineyard and its historical significance
Sustainable and organic farming practices
Cabernet Sauvignon winemaking philosophy at Corison
Building a winery from purchased fruit to estate
Family legacy and generational transition in wine
Napa Valley’s stylistic evolution and market pressures
Chapters:
00:00 - The Legacy of Corazon Winery
02:44 - Old Vines, Great Wines
05:32 - Breaking Barriers: A Woman's Journey in Winemaking
08:09 - The Family Business: Succession and Passion
10:40 - Finding Home: Grace's Return to Napa
11:17 - Miracles of the Kronos Vineyard
13:08 - The Financial Journey of Winemaking
15:26 - The Evolution of Napa Valley's Wine Industry
29:10 - The Mythical Roots of Wine
30:30 - Balancing Winemaking and Motherhood
32:27 - The Small Scale of Winemaking
32:56 - The Importance of Hospitality in Wine
34:21 - The Evolution of the Sommelier Community
35:17 - Direct-to-Consumer Sales Strategy
36:37 - Stylistic Choices in Winemaking
37:24 - The Unique Characteristics of Rutherford Fruit
40:13 - The Vision for Future Wines
42:57 - Sustainability in Winemaking Practices
45:31 - The Future of Chorus & Winery
47:36 - Adapting to Climate Change in Winemaking
51:59 - Exploring New Varietals
54:59 - The Role of Regenerative Agriculture
59:19 - A Surprise Guest Joins the Conversation
01:01:43 - Exploring New Wine Varieties

🔔 Subscribe for more deep dives into wine culture.
🎧 Listen now on YouTube + all podcast platforms
🔗 Full episode and show notes at winecentricshow.com

We’re grateful for the support of our episode partners:
▪️Fearrington House: https://fearrington.com/

Carmel Greenberg didn't come to Clos du Val to make bigger wines. She came to make better ones.
As head winemaker at one of Napa's oldest estates — and the first Israeli woman to lead a Napa Valley winery — Carmel has worked alongside some of the valley's most respected names: Cakebread, Dominus, Buccella. What she took from all of it wasn't a formula. It was a point of view.
In this episode, we get into what that actually means at the winery level — how she thinks about picking, pressing, and blending; why freshness and restraint are harder to achieve than extraction; and what Clos du Val looks like when she's done with it.
This is a conversation about the direction Napa is heading — and who's quietly leading it there.

Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
02:15 – Carmel's path into winemaking
06:40 – From UC Davis to Napa's top estates
10:30 – Joining Clos du Val
14:20 – Elegance vs. power — where Napa is heading
20:10 – Terroir and vineyard decisions
26:45 – Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet philosophy
32:30 – Fermentation and barrel aging
38:50 – Innovation at a historic property
44:10 – The future of Clos du Val
48:30 – Final thoughts & little easter egg

Subscribe for more conversations with the people behind the wine.
Available on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
winecentricshow.com
Filmed at: Saint Pierre Wine Bar, Raleigh, North

🔔 Subscribe for more deep dives into wine culture.
🎧 Listen now on YouTube + all podcast platforms
🔗 Full episode and show notes at winecentricshow.com

We're grateful for the support of our episode partners:
▪️ Fearrington House: https://fearrington.com/
The official wine glass of the Wine Centric Show is Glasvin.
Use code WINECENTRIC for 10% off at https://tidd.ly/41vgdSQ
We’re grateful for the support of our episode partners:
▪️Fearrington House: https://fearrington.com/
This episode was filmed at Saint Pierre Wine Bar in Raleigh, NC

Backend Tags:
Napa Valley winemaking, Carmel Greenberg, Clos du Val winery, Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc Napa, UC Davis winemaking, women in wine industry, modern Napa wine style, terroir driven wines, wine podcast, wine education, vineyard techniques, wine fermentation, barrel aging wine, wine innovation